


Rose, Apple, Dragon

by starlight1721



Series: Birthday Presents [4]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babies, Crack, F/F, F/M, Gen, Infertility, Magic, Multi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 01:37:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15920268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight1721/pseuds/starlight1721
Summary: Inspired by an Instagram post of Dove Cameron wearing a baby blue wig and our rambling shenanigans that somehow turned into an AU Tia wrote for me...Warning: May contain OOCness, fluff, limes, magical shenanigans, references to dorky songs, Evie bein’ a Slytherin, interior decorating, paparazzi. I am not responsible for any damage to your limbs, organs, and/or feels. Enjoy!





	Rose, Apple, Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> By Tia, for Nat  
> Happy birthday!!  
> Sorry it’s super late, life got busy.

Chapter 1- A Rose Begotten

The tension as the king and queen of Auradon walked into the royal family’s wing of the castle was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Neither was mad at the other; the violet-haired queen gripped her husband’s hand tight, to reassure him.

Neither was mad at the other, but even if Mal loved him just the same, Ben couldn’t help but resent himself.

The two walked into a small room where Evie, Jay, and Carlos sat on the floor, bickering about color schemes.

~Flashback to one year ago (almost)~

Ben and Mal slipped inside the royal family suite and sighed, exhausted, as Ben locked the doors behind them. Ten years ago today Ben had been crowned king of Auradon, outside they could see the party still going strong. But the festivities for which their presence was required were over, and Ben had sensed that Mal needed some time away from the crowds, so here they were. Ben’s eyes flitted over Mal’s outfit. The hair, an updo from Arendelle that framed her face nicely for the occasion, and the silver queen’s tiara atop it were his mother’s doing. Evie had done well on the dress; it was the purple-black of dark pearls, studded with a few green gemstones that matched those on her necklace and earrings, made to highlight her eyes. Sometimes he looked into them and was reminded of the stories of fairies who would lure humans into their realm, to remain there for eons. But rather than being spirited away, he and Mal had built this realm together.  

“See anything you like?” said Mal, a bit teasingly. He must’ve been staring.

Ben blushed, but also grinned. Times like these often turned into a game of each trying to make the other break their poker face, and today he knew he was going to win. “Did I mention that I’m in love with you?~”

Mal’s mouth twitched as she fought back the laughter. In the end both broke down laughing at once. Ben still remembered the first time he heard Mal laugh uncontrollably like this. He had wondered then if it was the first time she’d laughed that way, but the days when he could count the times Mal had a good, long, sincere bout of laughter had long since passed.

“Happy anniversary, Ben” Mal finally said when she caught her breath. She was smiling, and the light danced in her eyes. “Of becoming king, and becoming mine.”

“And happy anniversary of the day you turned your mom into a lizard and almost committed treason.” Ben replied.

“Well, I’d say the choices I made that day were some of my best. How should we celebrate?”

Ben smirked, and pulled his wife close once again. Mal knew where this was going and gave him a small nod. Ben placed a hand on the small of her back and began to direct her towards their bedroom. Both were grateful that they had moved beyond the awkwardness about intimacy that abounded in the early days of their marriage. Of course, like an idiot, somehow Ben decided now was a good time to put that awkwardness  _ right back in place _ .

“It’d be a heck of a coincidence if we made a baby tonight.”

The sudden silence and abrupt change of mood begged a record scratch. The room was dead silent for a solid minute, and for the first thirty second of that minute the minds of both were probably just filled with a chorus of  _ OH FUCK! _ (but then again, maybe not. This is a Disney universe, after all).

“... You... want us to have a baby,” Mal said at last. It sounded not like a question but almost, almost like an accusation.

_ No escaping it now, _ Ben thought to himself. “... Yes, Mal. I think it’s time we talked about it, at least.”

“... Are you sure, Ben? Do you think it would really be okay to bring a baby into... all this?” She gestured towards a window, and the party below.

“I don’t know. But I do know that I want to start a family with you. And I know that we’ve changed so much since I became king, and that we’ll keep working to change things moving forward. Maybe if we play our cards right, by the time our baby is old enough to understand all the court drama in Auradon it’ll just be a story they roll their eyes at us for recounting.”

“... And are you sure that you want a former villain kid to be raising the heir to the throne of Auradon? ... Are you sure that we- that  _ I- _ ”

Ben kissed her forehead softly. “I’ve been sure since the day I decided I was going to marry you. Besides, I know you secretly want to beat the others to having kids~”

This got a chuckle out of Mal. “I think we could wait another ten years and still do that. Evie’s too busy with her designs to even think about kids, and Jay’s not even in a relationship. Really the only competition is Carlos and Jane, and I think they’d argue that puppies count so we’ve already lost.”

“This is true,” Ben conceded with a smile. “But let’s be serious about this. I think you’d be a great mother, Mal. I can think of so many reasons why. And we’ll have my parents and all our friends to help us out. Please?” He held out his hand to her.

“... Okay,” said Mal, and she took Ben’s hand.

Behind sturdy oak doors and thick walls, the king and queen of Auradon began the first of many attempts to continue their line.

~Alright that’s enough of that back to the present we go~

“It has to be blue and gold, Jay! The royal colors are pretty, and what else to decorate the heir of Auradon’s room with!?”

“Have you considered that even you can only do so much with such a tacky combination, Evie? Besides, you know they’ll both love my idea, so let’s paint the room green and decorate it with purple dragons!”

“And you think blue and gold is a tacky combination!?”

“Guys! Why don’t we paint it something calming, like this teal color, and then stencil in pawprints? Y’know, have it be something cute, since this room is, y’know, for a baby?”

“There’s not going to be a baby”

The other three former villain kids looked up at the sound of Mal’s voice. They’d been so busy arguing that they hadn’t heard her enter. Yet there she stood, with Ben beside her. Their faces looked grim.

Jay stared at the ground. Mal and Ben had told him, Carlos, and Evie almost immediately that they had decided to start a family. After nearly a year and no luck, and the decision to seek medical advice about it, Jay had suggested that he, Evie, and Carlos set up the baby’s nursery for luck.

“... Can we ask what happened?” Evie finally asked, breaking the silence.

Ben and Mal exchanged a glance. Then Ben spoke.

“The doctors finally got back to us after running some tests... I’d rather not go too into detail, but the bottom line is that the tests say I’m sterile.”

“Oh...” Evie frowned. “Oh Ben. I’m so sorry.”

Ben nodded in acknowledgement, though his mind buzzed with guilt over talking Mal into a baby, only to learn that he was sterile. Mal wondered if this was the universe telling her that it was better that she didn’t become a mother. Jay mentally berated himself for insisting that they set up a nursery for a baby that didn’t exist yet, which would now surely become a sore spot in the would-be parents’ minds. Carlos silently hoped that Auradon’s press never found out what Ben had just told them- aside from how over-sensationalized it would be, none of Auradon’s nobility wanted to end the monarchy, but plenty would love an opportunity to declare Ben unfit to rule and put their family on the throne, and “the royal couple can’t provide an heir” would be one heck of an opportunity. Slowly the five friends pulled into a quiet group hug, trying to reassure each other that things would be alright.

But it was in Evie’s blood to defy fate. Perhaps she wouldn’t maniacally hunt a young girl in the hopes of some arbitrary title of prettiest, but the Evil Queen’s daughter would certainly use magic to tilt the scales in her favor, or in this case in the favor of a friend. Her mind was set.

Evie was already running through potions and spells in her mind before the hug broke up. If there was a solution, if there was some glimmer of hope she could give her best friend and said friend’s husband, then she was determined to find it. The next few nights were sleepless for her, which concerned poor Doug, but finally she burst into Ben and Mal’s room one morning at the crack of dawn, waking the two up.

“Evieeee...” Mal groaned as she sat up in bed and her eyes adjusted to the light.

“Do you still want to be parents?” Evie demanded, cutting straight to the chase.

“Wh-sure...?”

“Well then get up, because we’re going to  magic up a royal baby!”

Whether as a matter of newfound hope or urgency to stop Evie from doing something crazy, Ben and Mal were on their feet in less than a minute.

Most guests of Doug and Evie’s little chateau would note its charm, and Evie’s excellent taste in design, and the mineral elements provided by Doug’s family, from the quartz countertops with the little lights trapped inside, to the charming little suite that belonged to Dizzy until or unless she decided she was ready to live elsewhere, to the fashion workroom that even in its messiest of states looked like a work of art.

If they walked into the kitchen, they might notice the large, sapphire-blue rug with a bright, rosy apple in the center, they might stumble on it, and chalk this up to their own clumsiness.

Nobody, unless they knew Evie very well, would suspect that what they had tripped on was the hinges of a trapdoor, with stairs that led down into a cellar that had become an old-school spellroom.

_ Vintage,  _ Evie always insisted. It’s  _ vintage _ .

The products of Evie’s spellroom weren’t nearly so malevolent as those of her mother, of course. Enchanted dyes for the dresses. Jewelry imbued with minor confidence boosting spells. Pillowcases with anti-insomnia runes. Normally the most dangerous things she’d create were simple pest deterrents.

Using magic to create life is morally dubious at best. But here they were, ingredients bubbling in a cauldron.  _ Most of them, anyway _ , Evie began to think before a sneeze interrupted her. The cellar was earthy, and dusty, and she could seldom help but sneeze while down in it. No matter, there was serious business to attend to. She turned away from the cauldron to where Mal stood, carefully drawing blood from Ben’s arm. It only took a moment to supply enough, thankfully. Evie took the vials and, after another sneeze so rudely interrupted her, poured them into the cauldron. What was once the natural sky blue of Evie’s magic turned to royal blue- Ben’s color. It was easy after that. A few incantations, dust from a dragon scale, a few rose petals, the peel of a single red apple. It wasn't long before it was ready, and Evie filled a vial with the finished product. She checked the spellbook the recipe had come from, scribbled something on a piece of parchment, folded it up, and handed the note and vial to Mal.

“The note explains how to use the potion. It should be stable for about a month, so you don’t have to take it right this minute.”

“Thanks Evie,” said Mal as she took the vial and note. Despite the expression of gratitude her hands shook in such a way that a seismograph might produce readings for the motion and looked as though she was mentally panicking. Even Ben looked anxious. What if it didn’t work? What if it did? Evie smiled at them reassuringly.

“You guys are going to make wonderful parents,” she said matter-of-factly.

The three went upstairs, and along with Doug spent the rest of the evening talking until Ben and Mal returned home. All Evie could do now was wait.

~~~

Evie ploughed through the press waiting outside and sprinted through the castle, towards the royal infirmary. She refused to miss the birth of her godchild, even if it had meant cancelling an important fashion show. She paused outside Mal’s delivery room- they had practiced the way there so many times she knew it by heart now- and checked the time. Good, based on Mal’s call not long ago it would still be a few hours until the baby arrived. Mal probably would’ve killed her if she had showed up at the last minute. Evie took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and stepped inside. Ben was there, of course, holding Mal’s hand as she was going through a contraction. Evie was surprised by his calm in the situation, she had expected him to be panicking just as badly as Mal, if not worse. Pacing anxiously around the room was Ben’s father, Adam, who was clearly close to being kicked out of the room. Belle sat on the other side of Mal, armed with a stopwatch and a notepad. Next to her were Carlos and Jay, arguing about which of them would have a cooler kid when they became fathers. Nobody seemed to notice the newcomer.

“... Sorry I’m late,” Evie finally said. Mal’s eyes lit up with relief at the sight of her friend, and she nearly forgot she was in pain as she stood up and went to hug her. Evie wasn’t sure if it was okay for Mal to be standing right this moment, but returned the hug nonetheless.

“Now,” Said Evie as they pulled apart. “Ready to be a mom?”

“Only if you’re ready to be a godmother.”

“In that case,” said Evie with a grin. “I hope Auradon is ready for its new heir.”

The labor was not without its difficulties, but just as the sun was setting, Mal delivered a baby girl. As the new princess screamed out her arrival into the world, the room went to chaos, and Evie decided to step outside a moment- her goddaughter had been born, and Ben and Mal would probably want some alone time with the baby. She guided the others out as well, and they decided to make their way to the dining hall and eat dinner before returning. It wasn’t long, however, before the sound of running came echoing through the hall, and Ben scrambled up to their table, looking panicked.

“Evie...” he panted out. “Get back here... the baby... you need to see this.”

Without question Evie stood up and bolted alongside him towards the infirmary. Her mind spun. Had something gone wrong? Was the baby sick? Was it something that had come from a mistake in the potion?? She feared the worst as they entered the room. Mal was there, holding the baby who was now swaddled up and sleeping soundly, but there with her was the Fairy Godmother, looking concerned.

“... What’s wrong?” Evie asked. “I-is the baby okay?”

“She’s healthy,” Fairy Godmother replied. “But it seems there were minor complications in your potion. Somehow an extra ingredient made its way in.”

“... Extra?...”

“Yes, a certain someone’s genetic material, that probably wasn’t meant to be included.”

“... What are you saying?”

“Well...” it was Mal who spoke, and removed the beanie form the baby’s head to reveal a head of thin, soft hair- the exact sky blue Evie knew all too well as the color of her own magic. “Meet your daughter, Evie.”

_ DAUGHTER!? _ Evie racked her brain for what could’ve possibly happened, and remembered- she sneezed twice while making the potion. That little must’ve been enough.

Oops.

The chaos that ensued in the room was phenomenal, as the others returned and learned the situation, and Fairy Godmother explained as best she could that Evie’s DNA had compromised the conception potion. The baby appeared healthy for now, but it was hard to say how she’d be affected by having three parents as she grew. The more she explained, the more the tension in the room grew. What member of the court would accept a magical chimaera of two Villain Kids as their princess, or worse as their queen? They had agreed to keep the baby's origins quiet from nearly the moment Mal’s pregnancy was confirmed, but nobody had expected a baby whose hair gave her away, or for that matter a baby with three parents. What would they tell the press waiting outside? What would Evie tell Doug? Only fear of waking the baby kept the room quiet. Everyone jumped when the baby’s eyes opened -the same bright green as Mal’s.

It was Jay who finally voiced his opinion.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think we need to come clean.”

“ **_WHAT!?!?!?!?_ ** ” screamed everyone in the room at once. The baby, began to cry in response to the noise, prompting Mal to try to calm her down. Belle shuffled to her daughter-in-law’s side to help.

“Think about it,” Jay said once the room was somewhat quiet again. “There’s no way it’ll stay hidden forever, and when it becomes public they’ll give all of you hell for it, especially the baby. Why not get it over with so that by the time she’s old enough to remember anything it’ll be old news?”

“That... is actually a good point, Jay,” Evie admitted. Ben and Mal exchanged a nervous glance, but it was clear that they too agreed.

Half an hour of discussion yielded a final agreement, at which point Ben stepped out to meet with the press, baby in his arms.

Under the stars that shone above Auradon, Rose Agathe Malus Flora Bourbon du Bete, Crown Princess of Auradon and child of three parents, was introduced to the world, and thus her story began. Nobody could have predicted what would ensue.

_ To be continued.... _


End file.
